2005 FORD F SUPER DUTY Steering Problems

AFTER DRIVING OVER ROAD IMPERFECTIONS (E.G. BUMPS, POT HOLES, DIPS, ETC.) AT SPEEDS ABOUT 40MPH OR ABOVE, THE FRONT OF THE TRUCK SHAKES VERY VIOLENTLY, AND THE STEERING WHEEL MOVES QUICKLY AND STRONGLY, ALTERNATING RAPIDLY BETWEEN CLOCKWISE AND COUNTER-CLOCKWISE MOVEMENTS. IT IS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE TRUCK; CONTROL CAN ONLY BE REGAINED AFTER SLOWING THE VEHICLE TO BELOW ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR, WHICH IS WELL BELOW ACCEPTABLE SPEEDS ON AN EXPRESSWAY. THIS IS NOT A ONE-TIME INCIDENT, BUT HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY TIME A ROAD IMPERFECTION IS DRIVEN OVER. TIRE PRESSURE IS CONSTANTLY CHECKED AND MAINTAINED, THE TIRES ARE RELATIVELY NEW (I.E. LESS THAN 10,000 MILES), AND THE STEERING AND SUSPENSION EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN CHECKED BY A MECHANIC WITH NO OBVIOUS PROBLEMS.

THIS TRUCK HAS EXPERIENCED SHIMMY, AKA DEATH WOBBLE, SINCE NEW. I HAVE HAD NO SUSPENSION MODIFICATIONS AND NOT RUNNING ANYTHING OTHER THAN RECOMMENDED SIZE AND QUALITY OF TIRE. WHEN CRUISING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND YOU HIT A BUMP THE TRUCK HOPS AND SHAKES IN A DANGEROUS WAY. I HAVE ONLY GOTTEN LETTERS FROM FORD SAYING TO USE THE CORRECT TIRES AND PSI RATING. WHICH I HAVE AND IT STILL HAPPENS.

MY TRUCKS FRONT END SHAKES AND BOUNCES WHEN I HIT A ROUGH AREA ON THE HWY TO POINT IT FORCES ME INTO OTHER LANES OR OFF THE ROAD. WHEN IT STARTS BOUNCING I HAVE HIT THE BREAKS HARD AND COME TO A STOP. REALLY DANGEROUS ON A WELL TRAVELED ROAD. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. I'VE HAD THE TRUCK CHECK AFTER EACH INCIDENT AND AM TOLD EVERYTHING CHECKS OUT OK. THEY SAID TO KEEP TIRES AT 65 PSI AND THEN 75 PSI NEITHER HELPED. TODAY AFTER ALMOST HITTING ANOTHER CAR HEAD ON HWY 175 I DECIDED IT'S TIME TO REPORT IT. *TR

ON APRIL 5, I WAS IN HE PROCESS OF STOPPING FOR A STOP SIGN, WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE TRUCK. I DROVE LESS THAN 2 MILES, TURNED THE TRUCK OFF AND IT WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD TRUCK TOWED TO AUTONATION FORD IN ST. PETERSBURG FL. MECHANIC NOT ON DUTY, BUT MONDAY (APRIL 7, 2014), SERVICE DEPARTMENT CALLED AND SAID NOTHING SHOWED UP ON THEIR COMPUTER CHECK, AND WAS STARTING FINE AFTER A MINOR ADJUSTMENT. I PICKED UP THE TRUCK, DROVE LESS THAN 2 MILES, WHEN IT STALLED AS I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF COMING TO A STOP, WHILE MY SPEED WAS ABOUT 30 MPH. LOST POWER STEERING BUT WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART TRUCK AND RETURNED TO DEALER. TOLD THEM I DID NOT THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR A SECOND DIAGNOSTIC TEST, SINCE THEY HAD...

THE STEERING BOX FAILED, THE STEERING FAILED CAUSING THE OPERATOR TO LOSE CONTROL AND THEN HITTING A SNOW BANK WHICH ULTIMATELY CAUSE A ROLL OVER. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING HOME WITH MY FAMILY WE HIT A SMALL POTHOLE AND THE TRUCKS FRONT END STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN AND SIDE TO SIDE. I CLASP THE WHEEL TIGHTLY TO TRY TO CONTROL THE SHAKE WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES TO SLOW THE TRUCK DOWN (WHICH DIDN'T HELP).AS THE TRUCK SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 20 MPH I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL AND PULL OFF TO SAFETY FOR A VISUAL INSPECTION. UPON INSPECTION I COULD SEE NOTHING IMMEDIATELY WRONG. WHEN RETURNING HOME I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY F250 OWNERS FROM 2005/ CURRENT THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN. PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU *TR

SEVERE VIBRATION AND COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AFTER GOING OVER BUMP/ROUGH AREA OF ROAD. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES. NEAR CRASH OVER SIDE OF MOUNTAIN AS VIBRATION WAS SO SEVERE AS TO INVOLUNTARILY CHANGE MORE THAN ONE LANE. BRAKING INSUFFICIENT DURING THIS PERIOD OF SEVERE VIBRATION. CONTROL OF VEHICLE OBTAIN ONLY AFTER SPEED REDUCTION ATTAINED (NOT EASILY ACCOMPLISHED WHEN IT HAPPENS GOING DOWNHILL!) TWICE HAPPENED AT 65MPH AND TWICE APPROXIMATELY 45MPH. FORD DEALER ACKNOWLEDGED FAMILIARITY WITH THIS PROBLEM, CALLING IT THE "DEATH WOBBLES". STATED THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE "OLD STYLE" STEERING DAMPENER WITH NEW. IF IT WASN'T A DEFECTIVE PART/DESIGN, WHY WOULDN'T THEY REPLACE IT WITH A DUPLICATE OF THE ORIGINAL. NO CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE AS VEHICLE "TOO OLD"...EVEN WITH ONLY 61,000 MILES. *TR

WHEN TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY AT APPROX 65MPH, I HIT A ROUGH AREA AND THE FRONT END STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I HAD TO SLOW DOWN TO A VERY UNSAFE APPROX 30MPH BEFORE THE SHAKING STOPPED. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED, JUST THE MOST RECENT. THE FIRST TIME WAS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS CARRYING MY 4000 POUND CAMPER AND PULLING A BOAT WITH MY FAMILY. THE SAME THING HAPPENED AND WAS ONLY CORRECTED BY SLOWING DOWN. I HAVE BEEN READING HUNDREDS OF ON-LINE POSTINGS OF THE SAME ISSUE WITH OTHERS PLEADING F350 OWNERS TO SUBMIT THEIR EXPERIENCES ON THIS NHTSA WEBSITE. *TR

TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED OF 70 MPH ALONG INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, WHEN CROSSING TRANSITION ON INTERSTATE BRIDGE FRONT END OF TRUCK BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY; STEERING WHEEL SHAKING SO VIOLENTLY DRIVER HAD NO CONTROL. BROUGHT VEHICLE SAFELY TO A STOP, MOVED INTO EMERGENCY LANE, CHECKED ALL TIRES, NO APPARENT PROBLEM. RETURNED TO DRIVING LANE AND IN LESS THAN 1 MILE UPON HITTING ANOTHER BUMP IN THE ROADWAY TRUCK AGAIN BEGIN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY*. AGAIN, DRIVER HAD VIRTUALLY NO CONTROL OVER STEERING UNTIL VEHICLE HAD SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, AT WHICH TIME DRIVER ELECTED TO RETURN HOME RATHER THAN CONTINUE TRIP. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER THE FOLLOWING MONDAY. DEALER STATED THEY WERE AWARE OF THE 'DEATH WOBBLE' HOWEVER THEY HAD NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE. DEALER EXAMINED TRUCK AND DETERMINED THAT THE BALL JOINTS, DAMPERS, AND AXLE SE SHOULD BE REPLACED. HE DID NOT INDICATE THE PARTS WERE WORN, AND SEEMED TO...

VEHICLE VIOLENTLY SHAKES WHEN DRIVER IS ON FREEWAY AND HITS A BUMP. THE TIRES AND AIR PRESSURE ARE MAINTAINED PER FORD GUIDELINES. INCIDENTS ARE OCCURRING MORE AND MORE AND THE VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CORRECT. THE VEHICLE IS GOING INTO THE FORD DEALER ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2011. THE DRIVER IS INCREASINGLY ALARMED THAT AN ACCIDENT WILL OCCUR WHEN DRIVER IS NO LONGER ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. *TR